Fun Hamster Wheel Desk Makes the Rat Race More Literal

By Delana

Standing desks are officially a Big Thing in office furniture now. All kinds of companies are adopting them in a bid to help their workers live longer, healthier lives and be more productive at work. But for a few cheeky San Francisco chaps, a standing desk is boring and a treadmill desk lacks creativity. So naturally, they made a giant hamster wheel you can work in.

Built over the course of about 24 hours, the Hamster Wheel Standing Desk is every bit as amusing as it sounds. It is a large wooden wheel sitting on a base that is equipped with four skateboard wheels to make the wheel turn as the user walks. A standard standing desk is then placed into/through the wheel to provide a stable, non-moving working surface. There is no motor and, more importantly, there are no brakes. This decision, according to the creators, is meant to “really force the productivity out of the desk user.” They also claim that the desk is superior to treadmill desks because the hamster wheel leaves the user in total constant control of their own walking pace. Plus, it’s definitely a conversation piece for any office space. The makers of the unique office accessory have made the plans available on Instructables to anyone interested in making their own. Ambitious builders might even figure out a way to harness that human walking power to create a generator that could power a laptop – or at least a desk lamp.